Judo Champions League in memory of Shota Chochoshvili

At the end of the season it is time for one of the best events, as it is a team tournament. The annual European Club Championships and Champions League. The best European teams gather in Georgia’s Gori, the heart of judo in memory of Shota Chochoshvili, a Georgian hero who after winning many, passed away in 2009.

The event will include some of the major stars in judo including world and continental champions and will bring the top teams in a battle together for the titles for men and women.

Shota Chochishvili, became a hero  in the time of the Soviet Union by winning the Olympic gold in Munich in 1972. It is fifty years ago since those Olympic Games in Munich which set the pace of world class judo for Georgia, a fighting nation where martial arts are in the veins of the people.

In the occasion of the 50 years celebrations in the city where Chochishvili was born this weekend will bring the judo stars to Georgia.

Chochishvili, representing the Soviet Union, won an Olympic gold medal against the odds. The top favorite for the gold medal in the U93kg division at the 1972 Munich Olympics was Japan’s double World Champion Fumio Sasahara (1969 and 1971). In contrast, Chochishvili, only 22 years of age at the time, was a virtual unknown.

He started off well, defeating Du Yong Cha of North Korea in his first match. However, the luck of the draw meant that his next bout would be against the favorite: Sasahara. Chochishvili’s Olympic journey was about to be over almost as soon as it began but the unexpected happened. In a move that stunned the judo world, Chochishvili took a cross-grip, swung Sasahara around and slammed him flat on his back for a huge ippon.

Next up, he faced David Starbrook from Great Britain, who was a World bronze medalist. After facing Japan’s double World Champion, and the top favorite for gold, Chochishvili should have found this match to be relatively easier. But it wasn’t. In a very closely fought battle, the referee’s decision went to Starbrook. And with that, Sasahara’s chance to fight for a bronze medal evaporated.

Under the unusual pool system of the time, it was possible for a player to lose to someone, only to claw their way up to the final, and fight that same player again. And that’s exactly what happened with Chochishvili.

Under today’s rules, after losing to Starbrook, Chochishvili would no longer be in contention for gold. But under 1972 rules, he was able to make his way to the final by winning his next three fights. It was Chochishvili who came closest to scoring when he launched Starbrook with a massive ura-nage. It was only Starbrook’s keen spatial awareness that prevented him from landing flat on his back. The throw might have earned a koka or yuko in later years but in 1972 only waza-ari and ippon were recognized. So, no score was given. Chochishvili made the most of his golden opportunity for eternal glory, and became Olympic Champion.

That Olympic moment in 1972 was his peak. Chochishvili would not be able to win another major international title after that. He did however manage to win a bronze in both the 1975 World Championships in Vienna and the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Remarkably, throughout his career Chochishvili never won a European Championship gold.

Still, his remarkable performance at the 1972 Munich Games made him a hero in his home country of Georgia. Chochishvili died of cancer in 2009 and was posthumously inducted into the IJF Hall of Fame in 2015.

His son, Ramaz, also a European medallist on three occasions was the one to receive the award on behalf of his father.

Delegations of the European Judo Union and Georgian Judo Federation visited the grave of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games gold medallist Shota Chochishvili.